Council passes strategic plan, promises dark sky bylaw in a year

MUSKOKA LAKES — With a minor tweak to its strategic plan, the Township of Muskoka Lakes has made a commitment to start keeping the stars visible at night in just one year’s time.
At a meeting on Monday, council agreed to set a one-year deadline for establishing a dark sky bylaw for controlling light pollution, following a delegation by Gravenhurst environmental advisory committee member Mike Silver. Although council had already passed the strategic plan earlier that morning, a deadline date for establishing a dark sky bylaw was not specified in the plan at that time. Council added the new deadline date about two hours after the strategic plan’s passing.
Under such bylaws, Silver says penalties for properties that repeatedly refuse to comply could be incredibly steep.
“The townships that use this bylaw, they actually make money,” he said. “If you have violators that are not in compliance, there are provisions for penalties of up to $5,000 per day, and will be added to municipal taxes if it’s not paid … those provisions actually come from a precedent on Manitoulin Island, where they have a dark sky bylaw.”
In a previous delegation before Muskoka Lakes council, Silver said a dark sky bylaw would require lighting fixtures to shade and direct light downwards.
Proponents have said the aim is to preserve the region’s skies, which are already darker than other regions in Ontario.
“This is not Mississauga, it’s not Oshawa, it’s not Pickering, and it’s not (Yonge)-Dundas Square in Toronto,” said Silver. “This is Muskoka, and people come here and pay high taxes because they want an environment that is more pristine, they want more protective space, they don’t want to be living amidst urbanization.”
He pointed to the south-end plaza in Gravenhurst as an example of light pollution.
Coun. Brad Burgess drew attention to the fact that light pollution is also a problem in other areas of Gravenhurst.
“If you go past the tennis courts at night, you can see them from a mile away, and I don’t know when they ever shut those (lights) off,” he said.
After Mayor Alice Murphy raised concerns about whether the bylaw would prove problematic for residential properties, Silver said he sees the bylaw as one that will primarily be directed at commercial sites. In past delegations, he predicted that issues with residential properties would be dealt with on a complaints basis.
“This aim of this bylaw … is not to harass people, or to make residential usage a huge issue,” he said. “Common sense has to dictate how this is enforced. The bylaw officers will have to be reasonable and empathetic people, as I’m sure they already are.”
Unlike site plan controls, Silver has said that a bylaw will eliminate the need to go through the court system when enforcing compliance.
Muskoka Lakes township staff has now been directed to work on a finalized version of the bylaw.
Silver urged council to set a deadline for passing a bylaw after spending years advocating for a similar bylaw in Gravenhurst, where progress has been comparatively slow.
In November delegations before Gravenhurst council, Silver and fellow environmental advisory committee member Tammy Paterson pointed to the Torrance Barrens dark sky reserve outside Bala as an example of what a dark sky bylaw can achieve. The pair have also been working to encourage Gravenhurst retailers to carry dark sky friendly lighting fixtures.
Following Silver’s November presentation, Gravenhurst council passed a resolution asking its staff to draft a new dark sky bylaw for the town.
“I was told maybe five times in the last 10 years that a bylaw would be forthcoming in Gravenhurst,” Silver said. “I think the time to act is now.”